Saturday, October 19, 2013

Restaurant Review: Seabirds Kitchen in Costa Mesa, CA

Seabirds Kitchen at The Lab is now open!

I have been a long-time fan of Seabirds and their vegan food truck as year after year they have continued to impress me with their quality vegan food in Orange County! From delicious staples like their beer-battered avocado tacos to their other seasonal options and specials, I have always felt so lucky to have them in my community offering such amazing vegan food!

A peek at the menu!

And now they have opened a brick and mortar restaurant in The Lab in Costa Mesa, so I can have their fantastic food whenever I like (this could be dangerous!). They have had some delays in opening their restaurant (they had originally planned to open in late August/early September), so I am extremely happy that they have finally opened! I couldn't wait to try their new menu items and check out their new space, so I headed over there as soon as I could to try their seasonal menu.

Second page of the seasonal menu (for an up-to-date menu, always check

They are located at The Lab in Costa Mesa, in a bright and airy storefront right across from The Gypsy Den. I really liked the inviting ambiance of the restaurant, with blonde wood tables along the walls, high ceilings and big windows to let in the sunlight. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, and owner Stephanie Morgan herself came over to introduce herself and see how I was enjoying the food! She and her staff were all wonderful!

I liked the casual, warm atmosphere of the new 'Birds Kitchen, and eagerly anticipated trying their new menu items! They have some old favorites from their food truck menu (like beer battered avocado tacos, which are always amazing!), but lots of new items like a variety of bowls, quesadillas, sliders, and so many delectable desserts, plus drinks as well as a selection of vegan wine and beer! It took me a while to decide on anything because I wanted to order EVERYTHING, but I finally decided on a starter, entree and dessert.

My starter: Arancini at Seabirds Kitchen

The first thing that grabbed my eye on the menu were the arancini, a traditional Italian appetizer that are essentially cheesy rice balls. As an Italian, I grew up with these and looooove them, but unfortunately I haven't had them since my pre-vegan days, so, I was absolutely ecstatic to see them on the Seabirds menu! The menu describes them as: "fried cheesy rice balls with low and slow tomato sauce and fresh basil". They were simply exquisite and made me feel like I was back in Italy! Perfectly crispy on the outside and the rice inside was rich and flavorful! The tomato sauce they were served in perfectly complemented the flavors. I would order these again and again!

Seabirds' BBQ Jack Dilla

For the entree, I ordered the BBQ Jack Dilla, which is "grilled BBQ jackfruit, roasted garlic, caramelized red onion, cilantro, vegan cheese blend on a whole wheat tortilla with chipotle sour cream". This was really tasty and really filling! The flavors were all fantastic, and I could drink the chipotle sour cream sauce it was so good!

Seabirds' pumpkin pie - one of the best I've ever had!

Finally, I just couldn't resist getting dessert. As you have probably noticed, I am a sucker for anything pumpkin-flavored and pumpkin pie is one of my absolute most favorite things in the world, so I HAD to order it...and it was well worth it! Seabirds' pumpkin pie was TO DIE FOR! Honestly, this is probably the best pumpkin pie I've ever tasted! It had these crumbles on top that just made it out of this world. SO GOOD that I have no words!

Seabirds Kitchen was just amazing the first time around, and I can't wait to go back and try more of their menu items! Their bowls look especially scrumptious, and of course I need to try more of their desserts. I highly recommend getting over to The Lab ASAP to check out Seabirds Kitchen and their locally-sourced, seasonal vegan menu, because I predict it is going to get extremely popular extremely fast!

For more info and a full seasonal menu, check out the Seabirds Kitchen website.